"Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit." - William G. Pollard (1911 – 1989), American Physicist
The Passive Patient
The passive patient does not usually seek information about his or her medical condition. Instead, full trust is given to the doctor or health care professional to make most decisions about treatment and care. In Czaja, Manfredi, and Price's study, these passive patients tended to be older males with little formal education and little connection and support to the medical systems. Other factors may include race, economic status, education, and sex (Han, 369). This type of patient may also feel so overwhelmed due to the diagnosis that more dependence is given to the doctor to relay any information or make the diagnosis. Essentially, they are giving complete control to the doctor to do what he or she was trained to do.
The Informed Patient
Many of us may fall under the category of the informed patient. These types of individuals will seek information in order to prevent a sickness or disease. Because of the current health media trends, there have been positive medical results linked to a concentration of health media awareness (Niederdeppe, 182). Something that we may see on TV, a conversation with a co-worker, family, or friend may catch our attention and push us in a direction to find out more information in order to protect ourselves or our family.
Others begin the information seeking process because of a new diagnosis from their physician. These patients tend to want to find out as much as possible about their illness. One study showed that 1/3 of patients utilize the internet, 1/3 read from print material, and 1/3 find information through some type of personal interaction (Balka, 399). It is through sources such as these that the patient's needs are met, physically/practically and emotionally. Some patients just want to know what to expect from their illness and how it will change their lives, while others, seek to find a connection with those who have undergone the same or similar experience.
The informed patient does not necessarily want to be a collaborator with the doctor on important medical decisions, but rather may want to understand themselves better.
The Active Patient
Many patients today are expected to become intimately aware of their condition and treatment plans, and as a result, they actually become a part of the decision making process. Lorenzo's Oil is an example of someone taking control of a medical situation. Odone said that, "The real value of the movie has been to show people that in cases where you have a disease in the family or yourself, you have to be proactive -- don't wait for doctors to tell you what the remedies are," he said. "It might be there is a doctor in Australia or France who has the answer, but you never know if you don't get in touch with them." Connection between doctors, patients, and information sources are important for the active patient. These patients seek to find out as much as possible about their condition or treatment plan. An extreme form of the active patient is the term, "patient empowerment."
This stems from the belief that because you ultimately have control over your body, you are entitled to be completely involved in every aspect of the medical process. There are others, however, who seek medical information so that they can collaborate with doctors and health care professionals about different treatment options and plans.
Of course the patient is only one part of the health information equation. Health care providers also engage in their own information searches. A significant health care provider responsibility, and one that is gaining more attention, is ensuring patients understand the information and instructions provided to them. Let's look now at Part 2 - Health Information Literacy.
The Process of Seeking Health Information
"Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit." - William G. Pollard (1911 – 1989), American Physicist
The Passive Patient
The passive patient does not usually seek information about his or her medical condition. Instead, full trust is given to the doctor or health care professional to make most decisions about treatment and care. In Czaja, Manfredi, and Price's study, these passive patients tended to be older males with little formal education and little connection and support to the medical systems. Other factors may include race, economic status, education, and sex (Han, 369). This type of patient may also feel so overwhelmed due to the diagnosis that more dependence is given to the doctor to relay any information or make the diagnosis. Essentially, they are giving complete control to the doctor to do what he or she was trained to do.
The Informed Patient
Many of us may fall under the category of the informed patient. These types of individuals will seek information in order to prevent a sickness or disease. Because of the current health media trends, there have been positive medical results linked to a concentration of health media awareness (Niederdeppe, 182). Something that we may see on TV, a conversation with a co-worker, family, or friend may catch our attention and push us in a direction to find out more information in order to protect ourselves or our family.
Others begin the information seeking process because of a new diagnosis from their physician. These patients tend to want to find out as much as possible about their illness. One study showed that 1/3 of patients utilize the internet, 1/3 read from print material, and 1/3 find information through some type of personal interaction (Balka, 399). It is through sources such as these that the patient's needs are met, physically/practically and emotionally. Some patients just want to know what to expect from their illness and how it will change their lives, while others, seek to find a connection with those who have undergone the same or similar experience.
The informed patient does not necessarily want to be a collaborator with the doctor on important medical decisions, but rather may want to understand themselves better.
The Active Patient
Many patients today are expected to become intimately aware of their condition and treatment plans, and as a result, they actually become a part of the decision making process. Lorenzo's Oil is an example of someone taking control of a medical situation. Odone said that, "The real value of the movie has been to show people that in cases where you have a disease in the family or yourself, you have to be proactive -- don't wait for doctors to tell you what the remedies are," he said. "It might be there is a doctor in Australia or France who has the answer, but you never know if you don't get in touch with them." Connection between doctors, patients, and information sources are important for the active patient. These patients seek to find out as much as possible about their condition or treatment plan. An extreme form of the active patient is the term, "patient empowerment."
This stems from the belief that because you ultimately have control over your body, you are entitled to be completely involved in every aspect of the medical process. There are others, however, who seek medical information so that they can collaborate with doctors and health care professionals about different treatment options and plans.